Yuma marks Centennial in historic fashion
Feb. 11 features free activities at Yuma Crossing Day,
gala Redondo Days fundraiser at historic Molina Block
YUMA, ARIZONA - This sun-drenched town on the Colorado River celebrates its rich history at the crossroads of the Southwest every February, but with the whole state of Arizona also getting set to light the candles for its 100th birthday in 2012, Yuma Crossing Day and Redondo Days will definitely be special this year.
A full day of fun, free activities, Yuma Crossing Day take places from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, along historic Madison Avenue in downtown Yuma. The original track alignment for the Southern Pacific Railroad when it entered Arizona in 1877, Madison Avenue still boasts some of Yuma's oldest buildings, including the historic Sanguinetti House, now a museum operated by the Rio Colorado chapter of the Arizona Historical Society.
Along with historical re-enactors dressed in authentic period costume, Yuma Crossing Day will feature demonstrations of piñata making, tamale cooking and adobe brick making, along with displays of antique tractors and cars. Entertainment will feature mariachi bands and folklorico dancers, along with games authentic to the period. To add extra spice to the day, there will be a jalapeño eating contest, along with exhibitors and vendors of vittles and drinks.
Daytime activities are free and open to the public; admission to the Sanguinetti House Museum is also free that day. Author Gerald Ahnert will autograph his newly published book, The Butterfield Trail and Overland Mail Company in Arizona, 1858-1861.
But the fun doesn't end when the sun goes down, as the Yuma County Historical Society is hosting a Redondo Days fundraising dinner at 6:30 p.m. to benefit the Sanguinetti House museum.
Jose Maria Redondo was Yuma's first mayor and a pioneer of agriculture in the Yuma area, as well as a founder of Redondo Beach, Calif. Singer Linda Ronstadt is among the Arizonans whose family trees include Redondo roots.
To be held in the gardens of the Molina Block, an original adobe structure that was one of Yuma's first commercial buildings, tickets for the fundraiser are available now for $50 per person or, or to ensure families, friends or business associates are seated together, $500 for a table of eight.
Along with other entertainment, the fundraiser will feature an auction of art, antiques and such unique experiences as dinner at the Redondo hacienda ruins hosted and served by descendents of Jose Maria Redondo; dinner in the Sanguinetti House gardens hosted and served by descendants of the family; dinner at the site of the Wilson Boarding House hosted and served by descendants of the Mercedes Mendoza Wilson family; a guided tour of the Devil's Highway with lunch and a guided hike on the Butterfield Trail led by author Gerald Ahnert, and a boxed, numbered, uncut pages edition of the book, Game in the Desert, by Jack O'Connor (retail value $1500).
For more information about any of the day's events or to purchase tickets for the Redondo Days fundraising dinner, contact the Yuma County Historical Society at 928-782-1841.
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Media contact:
Ann Walker, 928-376-0100 (office), 928-210-9044 (cell), ann@visityuma.com
Event contact:
Carol Brooks, 928-782-1841 (office), CBrooks@azhs.gov
Visitor Information Center: 1-800-293-0071
www.visityuma.com
Yuma Visitors Bureau markets the Yuma area within the travel and tourism industry and to the general public. Direct travel spending in Yuma County totaled more than $566 million in 2010, supported nearly 5,800 jobs and generated $36.3 million in state and local tax revenues.
A longtime favorite with sun-seeking snowbirds, Yuma's population nearly doubles in the winter months, thanks to more than 23,000 spots in RV parks and resorts. The community also offers nearly 4,000 hotel rooms, conference and meeting facilities, and three casinos. For more details about Yuma's year-round attractions, special events - and the rarely "cloudy with a chance of tacos" forecast* - visit www.visityuma.com or call 800-293-0071.
* Yuma hotel guests will eat free every day the sun doesn't shine from Aug. 1, 2011 until July 31, 2012! For more information on our Centennial "free board" promotion, call us.
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